The Young Dove
by Lanane
Summary: Before he was sexy and suave, Yuuya was a angry, lonely kid. But then a bright and massive cockatiel came into his life... Dove Party shenanigans. ICPSS enabled.
1. Chapter 1

Leone raised an eyebrow. "So this guy not only hacked into Le Bel's bank account, but also into his security camera feed? What is he, some genius computer science major who got stuck teaching keyboarding class at this school? Hell, I'd want a fatter paycheck myself if I had to deal with dozens of brats all day."

"Er, not quite." The other man handed Leone the case file.

Leone flipped it open and couldn't help but laugh. "A kid? Seriously? A preteen managed to tap into the security feed before one of the Dove's techs?"

"Regardless of his age, his presence is troubling. His approach was rather chaotic, and it's only a matter of time before Le Bel's security team is made aware of his doings. Such a discovery would put us at a disadvantage, as they would then up their security even further and become much more vigilant. You must remove him from the picture, Leone."

Leone glared at the other agent. "I'm not killing a kid."

The man chuckled as he got up to leave. "I'm sure you'll come up with a sufficient solution."

Leone grunted and returned to the file. Yuuya Sakazaki, aged 13, a student at the Poubelle Fantaisie Preparatory School for Boys. His grades seemed average, nothing to suggest he had the know-how to infiltrate digital security. He also had quite a history of delinquent behavior, getting into fights with the other boys at school. The most interesting thing of note, however, was that the Le Bel family seemed to be paying his tuition. Leone wondered if the kid was Le Bel's bastard, but then found that he was just a child from one of Le Bel's wives' previous marriage.

Leone closed the file with a sigh. It was time to get to work.

When he got to the school, there seemed to be a commotion in front of the principal's office.. He flashed a fake badge. "Paris PD. What seems to be the trouble here?"

A man, he assumed the principal, flustered at the sight of the badge. "Oh my... are you here about Sakazaki? It was just a schoolyard scuffle; I hardly think the police need to get involved. We haven't even contacted the boy's family yet."

_Well, this was awfully __convenient__._ "A concerned parent called the department, so I'm just following up. I'd like to speak to him at least."

"O-of course." The principal gestured down the hall. "This way, please."

Leone followed the man as he prattled on and on, mostly about how esteemed his school was, though he did bring up bits and pieces about Sakazaki's behavior. By the time they stopped in front of a classroom, Leone was feeling a headache coming on.

"Here we are, this is the detention room." He opened the door to a mostly empty room. There was a woman at the teacher's desk, and one sullen looking boy sitting at the back. "Josette, ah, this police officer would like to have a few words with Yuuya. If you would please."

The woman almost looked relieved as she got up to leave. The principal started for the door after her. "I assume you want a moment alone?"

"That would be ideal," Leone responded. The principal nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Leone grabbed a chair and sat across from the boy. Up close, he could tell that he had a black eye and a busted lip, a souvenir from the fight that landed him in detention. He didn't acknowledge Leone at all, but instead glared at a wall with an angry scowl on his face. But despite the tough demeanor, Leone couldn't help but notice a sad loneliness in his eyes. "You look like shit, kid."

No response.

"But, from what I heard, the five guys that jumped you got it even worse. You managed to knock one unconscious and break another's arm? That's pretty impressive." Still nothing. "Though I have to wonder why none of those boys are in here. Unless they didn't start the fight. But why would one boy pick a fight with five other people?" Yuuya's glare tightened on the wall. "Though if they goaded you into it, I can see that. Maybe they were insulting you and your common parentage?" Yuuya's hands balled into fists and he was now visibly shaking. "Well, if you're not going to talk to me, maybe I should call up the Le Bel house and get your father to-"

"That man is _not_ my father," Yuuya finally said, "And he doesn't give a shit about me. He won't come." He still wouldn't look at Leone.

"Oh, so he does speak," Leone chided. "And I'm guessing that feeling is mutual? Is that why you hacked into his bank accounts?"

Yuuya flinched, then turned his death glare on the Dove agent. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Leone smiled. "Yuuya Sakazaki. That's a Japanese name, right? You speak Japanese?" Leone didn't wait for an answer and just continued in Japanese. It was unlikely that many people in the school could speak it, so there was little chance of a random passerby hearing something they shouldn't. "Don't try to deny it. We tracked a security breach back to this school, and it seems that you have to check one of their computer out under your name in order to use it. So tell me, why did you hack into his security cameras too? Stealing money from him I can understand, but why are you spying on him, too?"

"...Are you going to kill me?"

Leone was bewildered. Sure, the Dove Party had hinted at the suggestion, but he would never hurt a kid. "Why would you ask that?"

"Stop fucking with me and just do it. That's what he's paying you for, right? To knock out some goddamn kid who's annoying him? Just do it and be done with it. I'm tired of this game, and I'm not going to tell you anything."

Leone leaned back in his chair. "Just who do you think I am?"

Yuuya rolled his eyes. "You're part of Le Bel's security team. Obviously."

Leone sighed and shook his head. "You are so far off the mark here, kid."

"Bullshit! How would you know if his shit got hacked?"

"Because we've been trying to hack in ourselves for months.

Yuuya flustered. "Wha?"

"And then some punk kid goes and gets in before us. Impressive, if you ask me, but IT says you did a sloppy job, made too easy for someone competent to notice the breech, and too easy to track it back to you. I wouldn't be surprised if Le Bel's actual security team notices soon."

Yuuya looked utterly confused. "I don't... Why... Who _are_ you?"

Leone smiled. "How about we talk about who your step-father is first. He's involved with a group of seedy people. I, however, am from a bright and massive group that opposes Le Bel's group. He's not a very good man, so we've been keeping tabs on him. Then we found you."

Yuuya stared at him. "Does this have something to do with the Doves and the Hawks?"

Leone clapped his hands together. "Very good, kid!"

Yuuya's angry glare returned. "Don't patronize me! I'm not stupid. The teachers and students here may think that, but I'm smarter than all of them."

"Well, you certainly managed to outsmart 20-or-so over-paid computer nerds over at the Party, so I'm willing to believe that. Actually, I think we might even be able to make use of your talents."

Yuuya's eyes widened. "You want _me_ to join the party?"

Leone shrugged. "Why not? It's easier to train a kid than it is to train an adult. Plus kids can easily get to places that would be too suspicious to send someone older."

"And why would I want to join you, anyway?"

Leone stroked his beard. "Well, there is still the little fact that it's just a matter of time before Le Bel finds out you've been hacking into his things. If you join the Doves, I'm sure they'd find a way to cover it up and get you off scott-free. But if you don't," Leone smirked at him. "Well, you did seem awfully concerned that I was going to kill you when you thought I was with Le Bel, didn't you?"

Yuuya narrowed his eyes. "Are you seriously threatening a kid right now?"

"Hey, I'm just telling you how it is, kid."

Yuuya's gaze drifted back to his favorite spot on the wall as he thought it over. "If I join you... it would negatively affect Le Bel, right? I might even be able to hurt him somehow?"

"I don't see why not, especially if he stays with the Hawks."

An evil grin came to Yuuya's face. "When do I start?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you serious?!" Leone snapped at the other agent.

"You've established rapport with him already. I don't see why we should find someone else to train him," the other man responded.

"Training him is one thing, but why does he have t move in with me? I'm not a damned babysitter."

"You were the one that suggested that we remove him from his current residence, if you recall. And isn't it a little rude to be protesting so much when he's standing right next to you?"

Leone looked down at Yuuya, who was indulging in his wall glare habit again. "Whatever, it's getting late, and I'm tired of arguing. Come on Sakazaki, I'll take you to your 'new home.'"

Leone's apartment was about 15 minutes away by car from the Dove Party office. A journey that was made in complete, awkward silence. Arriving at the apartment wasn't any less awkward. Yuuya stayed in the doorway with his suitcase while Leone rushed around collecting empty beer bottles, cigar cases, and miscellaneous other trash strewn about the space. When he noticed that Yuuya was still standing outside the door, he jerked his head toward the bedroom. "Get in here, Sakazaki. You're probably tired, so go ahead and go to bed."

Yuuya hesitantly walked in the apartment and closed the door behind him. "Wait, isn't that your bed though?" He asked as he looked into the room Leone had gestured to.

"Yeah, but I mostly sleep on the couch anyway. Get some sleep, kid."

Yuuya nodded absent mindedly and walked in to the bedroom, carrying his suitcase with him. Leone closed the door to give him some privacy and then went back to work cleaning the apartment. Yuuya unzipped his suitcase, but instead of pulling out a pair of pajamas, he brought out an old teddy bear. It was ratty and falling apart, but he refused to ever get rid of it or replace it, because it was something that his father had given to him on his first birthday.

It was the only birthday gift he had ever received.

Maman hadn't been the same since his father had died, and she likely forgot altogether when he was even born. And the family Le Bel had placed him with certainly didn't care enough to acknowledge his birthday, and most days they didn't even acknowledge Yuuya himself. He had no friends, as the boys at school preferred instead to torment him for being the son of a commoner that was taken pity on by a noble, rather than being a rich brat like the rest of them. And Sakuya...

Yuuya buried his face in the bear's fur as his eyes filled with tears. No one was ever going to care about him again. Even this man, who had been remarking how "impressive" Yuuya was the day before, had made it very clear that he didn't want Yuuya there. He was just a burden to be tolerated until he could be made of use to the Dove Party.

Yuuya trembled as the sobs began to rack his small frame. He quickly climbed into bed and threw his face into a pillow to try and muffle the noise. The last thing he needed was for Leone to hear him crying. He hugged his bear close and hoped that sleep would take him soon.

The next morning, Yuuya's eyes were red and puffy from having cried all night. He just wanted to stay in bed, but hunger drove him out into the kitchen. Unfortunately, Leone was out there too, smoking a cigar. Yuuya hoped that he wouldn't notice his red eyes, or at least would have the decency not to ask about them.

Leone _did_ notice, and he had heard him crying the night before, but he didn't say anything. Most Dove agents had some kind of baggage they were carrying, things they didn't want to share, so it was a bit of an unwritten rule to not ask about it when you notice someone's upset. If Yuuya wanted to talk about it, that was fine, but he wasn't going to pry. Especially if it just proved to be momentary homesickness.

Yuuya opened the refrigerator to find it stocked with nothing but beer. "Do you have any actual food?" he asked.

"There should be some ramen in the pantry."

Yuuya grimaced. "Ramen? Is that it?"

Leone took a drag on his cigar and thought for a moment. "Coffee." He nodded toward the half full pot next to the stove.

Yuuya stared at him. "How are you alive?"

Leone narrowed his eyes "Look, it's not like I had time to kiddie-proof my apartment. Besides, I don't actually eat here. I normally only have time for takeout or something."

"Sorry." For a moment, Yuuya looked defeated and sad, but he quickly returned to his unpleasant scowl. "I'll just have coffee then."

Yuuya poured himself a cup and sat across from Leone.

"Sorry, but I don't have cream or sugar."

"Black is fine." Yuuya continued to just glare down at his cup.

Leone took another drag before snuffing out his cigar in an ashtray. "Okay kid, let's go."

"Go where?"

"Grocery shopping."

Yuuya lifted his eyes from his cup to stare at Leone.

"You want food, right? Well, I don't exactly know what you like to eat, so you'll have to come with me."

"I thought you said you only eat takeout?"

Leone shrugged and sighed dramatically. "Well, when you have a kid, you've got to make certain sacrifices." Leone stopped and took in Yuuya's deadpan expression. "That was a joke, kid. You're allowed to laugh." Yuuya's lips twitched upward in the faintest hint of a smile. A mocking smile rather than a genuine one, but Leone would take it. "Are you coming or not?"

Yuuya downed his bitter coffee and followed Leone out the door.

"Alright, I'm willing to spend €50," Leone said once they got to the store, "So pick out whatever you want."

Yuuya wasn't sure exactly what to do. The family he had lived with never took him shopping, and he wasn't allowed in the kitchen when the servants were preparing meals. What would he even get? Milk? Yeah, that was probably a good idea. Cheese and bread too. Hamburger meat? He was pretty sure that you needed eggs for that, so maybe not... As they passed the produce section, he grabbed a handful of fruits and vegetables, in an attempt to be somewhat healthy.

They went through the cereal section and one of the boxes caught Yuuya's eye. It was one of those sugary sweet cereals that Yuuya had always wanted to try, but a family associated with the Le Bels would never purchase such a gaudy thing, especially when you had servants that could make you 5-star breakfasts from scratch. Yuuya was about to move on when Leone picked up the cereal box and threw it in the cart.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" Yuuya protested.

"New rule. If you have to stare at something for more than 3 seconds, we're getting it. Don't waste too much time deciding. We have more important things we could be doing."

Yuuya blushed. "But I don't want that! Put it back."

Leoene grinned. "Well, if you don't want it, I'll eat it. I mean, frosted fruit lumps, with little marshmellows shaped like flowers and butterflies? Sounds delicious."

Yuuya's blush deepened. "Don't be dumb!" he shouted as he stalked down the aisle.

Leone chuckled and followed after the little brat.

By the time they made it to the checkout, the cart was filled with a hodge-podge of miscellaneous items, many of them retrieved to Yuuya's dismay after he spent too long looking at anything. While they were waiting in line, a toy on a shelf next to the checkout caught Yuuya's eye. It was from Doveman, Hero of Justice, a show he liked to watch when no one was paying attention to him. Which meant, of course, he watched it all the time. Leone reached over and put the toy in the cart.

"Wait, that's not even food!" Yuuya whined.

"I said to pick out what you want. I didn't limit that to what you can eat." Leoene waved the toy in front of him. "This is just as suseptible to the 3 second rule as the box of cereal."

"Whatever..." Yuuya crossed his arms and quickly turned around so that Leone wouldn't see him blushing again.

They remained silent throughout the rest of the checkout process, and continued out to the car without a word. As Leone started loading the grocery bags into the trunk, Yuuya finally spoke up. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

Leone put another bag in and gave him a quizical expression. "What do you mean?"

"Last night, you were pretty obvious about not liking me. And now you're buying all these things for me. You even spent €163, which is more than triple what you said. Why?"

Leone put in the last bag and sighed. "Look, kid, I don't dislike you. Our new living arangements were just sprung on me, and I was more upset about the sudden decision than about the end result. And the reason why I'm being nice, well, when we start training together, I'm pretty sure you're gonna hate me. I figured if I can make our domestic affairs more bearable in contrast, you'd be less likely to kill me in my sleep or something."

"Oh." It was just another pretense, just like everything else in Yuuya's life. He narrowed his eyes and lowered them to the ground.

"Why do you always have to do that?"

"Do what?" Yuuya snapped.

"Look so angry all the time."

Yuuya squeezed his hands into fists. "Because I'd rather be angry than sad."

Leone frowned. "Wouldn't you rather be happy than either of those?"

Yuuya hesitatied. "...I can't be something I'm not."

Leone felt a pang in his heart. It definitely wasn't homesickness that this kid was dealing with. He knew it wasn't his business, that he should just let the kid deal with his own issues, but...

Leone knelt down in front of him. "Sakazaki, look at me." Yuuya didn't move. "Yuuya..." Yuuya's head snapped up and he glared right at Leone. Despite the mean expression, Leone could see tears forming in his eyes. "...I can't tell you for sure if joining the Dove Party was the best decision you could have made, but I do know it will give you new chances. Working for the Party will give you a purpose, to help make the world a better place. And next week, you're going to be enrolling in a new school, away from all the rich snobs that were picking on you. You can make new friends. But, you're going to have to stop making that face. No one will want to talk to you if you look like you're about to murder someone."

"What am I supposed to do then? _Pretend_ to be happy?"

Leone stroked his beard. "Well, yeah." He sighed. "Look, if you act like you're happy, even when you're not, people will be more likely to want to be around you, to be your friend. And once you're surrounded by your friends, you won't have to pretend anymore."

"That's stupid. Even if it did work, a relationship built on lies wouldn't make me happy at all."

"How do you know unless you try? C'mon, just give it a shot and smile for me." Leone smiled himself to try to coax him.

Yuuya just looked away.

Leone sighed. "Whatever, kid." He got up, perhaps a bit too quickly, as he smashed the top of his head on the door to the still-open trunk. "Fucking hell!" he shouted as he put his hand to his head and winced in pain.

And then the laughter started.

Leone looked down to see Yuuya grinning ear to ear and giggling uncontrollably. "You think that's funny, you liitle shit?" Before Yuuya could move, Leone scooped him up and sat him on the edge of the trunk, and then started tickling his sides. "How about this, huh?

"Gahaha! St-haha, stop! N-no-hahaha... STOP!" Yuuya elbowed Leone hard in the face, which hurt more than the cockatiel was willing to admit. Yuuya was in full-on furious mode. "Do that again, and I'm shouting 'pedophile' and "kidnapper' until they throw your ass in jail."

Leone rolled his eyes and sat down next to him. "Oh please. You can't expect me to beliveve that you didn't enjoy laughing like that."

"...I guess I do enjoy it when assholes get what they deserve. I probably would have laughed again if I made your nose bleed."

Leone shook his head. "So the nihilist brat _does_ know how to tell a joke."

"That wasn't a joke," Yuuya retorted with a smile on his lips. A sincere smile. The first one Leone had seen on him since they had met.

Leone smiled back and reached over to ruffle the boy's hair. "You're gonna be just fine, kid."


	3. Chapter 3

Yuuya stared at the rifle with wide eyes. "I thought you were just going to train me to be a better hacker."

Leone grabbed the rifle and put in a fresh magazine. "Even the computer nerds have to get firearm training." He looked through the scope and took a practice shot. He then held it out to Yuuya. "Here, you try."

Yuuya took the gun hesitantly, then held it out like he was afraid it was going to explode.

"If you prop it on the table, it'll help to stabilize it," Leone said. Yuuya went over to the table and did as suggested. "Alright, now hold the butt against your shoulder and look through the scope. See that target at the other end of the range? Try to line up the crosshairs and-"

Yuuya pulled the trigger, and a hole appeared in the target, just a centimeter or so away from dead center. Yuuya looked up from the scope and grinned.

Leone whistled. "Not bad, kid. Now empty that clip and see if you can prove it's not just beginner's luck."

Shot after shot made their way into the center or near-center of the target. After he exhausted the bullets, he looked up at Leone with a smug expression.

"Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?"

"Video games? Haha."

Leone rolled his eyes. "Fair enough. But let's see if all your BASS playing helps you when it comes to a _real_ gun." He pulled a revolver from his holster and handed it to Yuuya. "Now try and hit that other target."

Yuuya held the gun in his right hand and aimed it at the target.

"No, use both hands."

Yuuya grabbed his right wrist in an attempt to stabilize his hand.

"Wrong." Leone grabbed the gun and held it properly. "You need to wrap your dominant hand around the grip and cup your other hand under it." He handed it back to Yuuya to let him copy the proper hold. "Close enough. Now shoot."

Yuuya tried to pull the trigger, but nothing happened.

"The safety's on."

Leone grinned as Yuuya fumbled with the safety catch. The smug little brat was completely flustered now, and Leone was going to enjoy it. Finally, Yuuya managed to fire a shot. And missed. He wasn't expecting the recoil and jumped a bit.

"Empty the chamber."

Yuuya readjusted his grip and fired again. And again. And again, until the gun was out of bullets, and the target remained untouched. He all but threw the revolver on the table. "I don't like that one. And it made me dizzy."

"That's because you were holding your breath while aiming. But don't worry, we'll work on it and you'll get better. I mean, you have _me_ training you after all. Now go put away your eye and ear guards. We're going to the gym next for an hour of general work-outs and an hour of hand-to-hand combat."

Yuuya put away his equipment and grimaced. "This is the part where I'm gonna hate you, isn't it?"

Leone chuckled and pushed the boy toward the door.

The following weeks continued in much the same way. After school, Leone would pick Yuuya up and take him straight to the range for an hour of firearm training. Next, two hours at the gym. After that, Leone dropped him off with IT for an hour and a half so they could show him the tricks of the digital trade. After that, they went home, and Leone wouldn't let him sleep until he finished all of his homework ("You're a smart kid, so there's no reason why you should be getting such bad grades."). It was rare that Yuuya got to bed before midnight.

Yuuya wished he at least got the weekends to himself, but Saturdays were reserved for field drills, where he had to run through an obstacle course and "save" dolls from Hawk party dummies or shoot a target dummy while avoiding paintball bullets being fired at him. Sunday was the one day he got to stay home all day, which he normally slept most of. But then he was expected to clean the apartment, which didn't leave much time for hobbies. He did manage to squeeze in some video games or cartoons, here and there, to help preserve his sanity.

One Sunday though, he decided to try out what he had learned during his digital infiltration training. Leone came up behind him just as he was finished setting up.

"Oh hell kid, not this again."

"Lay off," Yuuya grumbled. "I'm not going to get caught this time, by your guys _or_ his. I set up maybe 20 proxies so no one will be able to trace it back to me. That is, if they even notice the breech. My method this time is much less 'chaotic' after all." Yuuya tapped a key and the computer screen displayed a security feed from one of the cameras in Le Bel's mansion. Yuuya smiled triumphantly as he scrolled through the feeds. The kitchen, the foyer, the dinning hall, the library. Yuuya stopped advancing when he saw Sakuya sitting at a table, doing his homework amongst the stacks of books. Yuuya's grin softened to a more somber expression as he continued to watch him. After a few minutes, a servant came to retrieve Sakuya, probably to take him to dinner.

Leone stood in silence until Sakuya left the frame. "Back then, you were never spying on Le Bel, were you?"

"Sakuya's my little brother. Sometimes I worry about him..." Yuuya shook his head and closed out of the security feed. "Anyway, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do that. I guess I learned a lot from those computer nerds, huh?" Yuuya forced a smile, but the sad longing reminded in his eyes.

"Apparently you're not the only one who wants to take your new skills for a test drive," Leone said as he dropped a case file on the desk. "The Doves want you to go on your first real mission."

Yuuya's eyes widened. "Really? What do they want me to do?"

"Read the damn file, kid. That's why I gave it to you." Leone walked off and lit a cigar.

Yuuya turned to the file and opened it. At the front was a picture of a man named Alexandre Dubois. He was a Hawk party supporter that was currently on business in Germany, but he would be back in town Friday evening, when he would be hosting a diplomat for dinner. Yuuya's task was to hack into his phone and dig up as much dirt as possible.

_Piece of cake_ Yuuya thought as he got to work. All he had to do was send Dubois a virus disguised as an email. If Dubois opened it, or tried to delete it, it would download spyware onto the phone, allowing Yuuya access. After a few minutes, he was finished. Yuuya leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself. In a few short hours, his first "mission" would be a complete success.

Or so he thought. By Thursday night, his virus had still yet to be downloaded. Either Dubois had found a way to delete the email without repercussions, or he had flat out ignored it altogether. Either way, Yuuya was starting to panic.

"Don't you have that done yet, Sakazaki?" Leone asked him.

Yuuay groaned. "I sent him like 20 viruses, but he didn't download any of them."

"Can't you do something else?"

"Maybe? But if there is another way, I haven't been trained on it yet. Well, for long distance like this. If I was within close proximity, I might be able to do something, but he's out of the country right now..."

"But he'll be in town tomorrow, right? Can you do something then?"

Yuuya nodded. "Yeah, I just need to be close enough to piggyback off his wifi and get into his network. Which would mean, of course, that I'll have to miss my extracurriculars tomorrow." Yuuya raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile.

Leone rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. We'll go stake out his apartment as soon as you're done with school. Now hurry up and go to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow.

And by "big day," Leone meant a lot of waiting around doing nothing. Around midday on Friday, they went to the roof of a building across the street from Dubois' apartment. The rooftop was at about the same level as the apartment, so the signal strength from Dubois' wifi was strong enough to access, and, subsequently, hack into. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any devices that Yuuya could manipulate once he was in. It was likely that Dubois had taken his laptop with him, so they'd have to wait for him to return in order to hack into either the computer or the phone.

Yuuya must have fallen asleep, for the next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain in his back from where Leone had hit him, and Dubois was in his apartment. Yuuya yawned and started the program to hack into the target's phone. He also found a laptop on the network, so he started on that too. After all, computers were always so much easier for Yuuya. And just as expected, the computer sync finished before the phone. Which was unfortunate, as Dubois had just put his phone to his ear to take a call. Yuuya immediately turned the webcam in Dubois' laptop on to channel the audio. It wasn't as ideal as going through the phone, but one side of the conversation was better than nothing.

Leone raised an eyebrow. "What language is he even speaking?"

"Latin," Yuuya replied.

"You know Latin?"

Yuuya rolled his eyes. "I went to a bullshit prep school. Of course I know Latin." Or at least, he knew enough to get the gist of what Dubois was saying. His eyes had gone wide by the end of the call. "I think... I think he's going to poison that diplomat."

"Think, or know? Something like that is _very_ important to get right, and we can't act on partial positives."

"Know," Yuuya corrected. He had definitely heard the word poison. He watched as Dubois went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of wine, and then poured something extra into one of them. "See, look!"

"Damn, I was I afraid something like this would happen." Leone snarled. He then started routing in one of the bags they had brought.

Dubois set the wine glasses down and went to the door to let another man in. The diplomat, Yuuya assumed.

"We just ran out of time," Leone said as he propped up a sniper rifle.

"W-Wait, what are you doing?!" Yuuya shouted in confusion.

"That guy he's going to poison is a very important conduit between birds and humans. If he dies, it'll set the Dove Party back quite a bit. I need to take Dubois out now. I understand if this is too much for you right now, so go wait downstairs."

"No, I... I can stay," Yuuya protested. What kind of agent would he be if he just went and hid? The Doves might think he's useless after all, and send him back to his old life.

He wouldn't let that happen. "If I stay with the Doves, will I... Will I have to... kill someone?"

"...Yeah, probably," Leone answered as he adjusted the scope.

Yuuya clenched his fists. He needed to prove himself to the Party, prove to them that he wasn't worthless. Prove to _himself_ that he wasn't worthless. "Then let me do it."

Leone looked up from the scope in shock. "Sakazaki, you're only fourteen. I'm not letting you bloody your hands before you can even drive."

_If only you knew_, Yuuya thought. "That doesn't matter! This is my mission, right? I need to see it to the end. And besides, you said I'll have to kill someone eventually, right? What does it matter what age I am? Besides, I'm a good shot now, especially with a rifle."

"It's not the shot I'm worried you'll mess up..." Leone sighed. "You're not going to drop this, are you? Fine. If you're going to do it, be quick about it. Dubois just grabbed the wine."

Yuuya took the rifle and looked through the scope, catching Dubois in the crosshairs.

"Take the shot, Sakazaki."

Yuuya tried to squeeze the trigger, but something was stopping him. He started shaking, like the rifle was too heavy, and his vision started to blur. _Breathe, Yuuya_, he told himself. He took several large breaths, in and out, almost on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Sakazaki!"

Dubois had given the poisoned wine glass to the diplomat, and they clinked the glasses together.

"Damn it kid!" Leone reached over to snatch the rifle away and take the shot himself, but right before his fingers brushed against the boy's shoulder, Yuuya fired. The apartment window shattered, and Dubois collapsed, a hole blown open in his head. The diplomat dropped his glass in shock, the poisoned wine harmlessly spilling on to the floor, and someone screamed. Yuuya saw a woman rush to Dubois' side right before Leone pulled him up by the back of his shirt.

"Okay kid, time to go," Leone said as he hurried to disassemble the riffle and throw it back in its bag. "Gather your shit and we're out of here."

Yuuya snapped out of it long enough to pack up his computer and follow Leone off the roof. He forced himself not to look back.

Yuuya didn't speak again until they were well on their way down the highway. "That woman... Who was she? Dubois' wife?"

Leone shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, his wife. I think they had two kids together."

"Oh." Yuuya felt a cold lump growing in his stomach.

Leone sighed. "I never should have let you take that shot."

"No, it's fine. _I'm_ fine. I know that even the bad guys have families too. After all, Le Bel has four children and a lot of wives, and he's the worst of the worst."

_I thought he had five kids_, Leone thought, but he left it alone. They drove the rest of the way home in silence.

As soon as they got back to the apartment, Yuuya went straight to his room. He wanted nothing more than to sleep that awful night away.

But things are rarely that easy.

Some time around two, Yuuya heard a sound like glass shattering coming from the kitchen. Yuuya pulled out the pistol that Leone made him keep by his bed and crept out of his room to investigate. _Where the hell is Leone?_ he thought as he inched his way through the apartment. When he got to the kitchen, he saw the silhouette of a man, too slender to be Leone, shuffling over by the pantry.

Yuuya cocked his gun and aimed it at the man. "Who the hell are you?"

The man froze, then slowly started to turn. Yuuya gasped when he saw his face, or rather, what was left of it. Where his left eye should be was only a gaping hole. "Du… Dubois…"

"Why..." The man groaned, "Why did you kill me, Yuuya?"

"No..." Yuuya shook his head and backed away.

"Why did you kill me? I had a family, Yuuya. Why..." Dubois' face started to melt, his skin giving way to a shapeless, bloody pulp, and he seemed to sink into the floor.

And suddenly he was surrounded by them; half formed, bloody children with dead white eyes. "Why, Big Brother?" echoed around the room. "Why did you kill me?"

Yuuya wanted to run, but they were all around him. He had also lost his gun. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he cried out. "I didn't... I didn't want to..."

They started to close in on him. "I love Maman. I love Papa. I love _you_, Big Brother. So why... Why did you kill me?" They started reaching out to him, grabbing Yuuya with their bloody, stunted hands.

"No... No, please!" Yuuya tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them, and they were too strong.

"I love you, Big Brother. I want to stay with you." They started pulling Yuuya down into the floor boards. "Let's be together, Big Brother."

_"Forever."_

Yuuya woke up screaming, but something was still holding him down, trying to drag him down into hell. He tried to fight against it, but it was too strong.

"Yuuya!" a familiar voice shouted. "Yuuya, it's me! Wake up, you're having a nightmare!"

Yuuya gradually stopped struggling and collapsed against Leone's chest, sobbing and repeating "I'm sorry" over and over.

Leone stroked the back of his hair to try and calm him down. "It's going to be okay, Yuuya. You're going to be okay."


	4. Chapter 4

A storm was raging, both outside and in Yuuya's mind, which meant he didn't sleep at all the rest of the night. By morning, he was even more exhausted than he had been the night before. But he didn't dare stay in bed. If he did, he might fall asleep again, and... He wouldn't let that happen. He forced himself up and stumbled out to the kitchen.

Leone was sitting in his customary spot, smoking his morning cigar. "Morning, kid. Looks like the Party has another real mission for you."

Yuuya's eyes widened in terror. _Another one?_

Leone took note of his panicked expression. "Relax, kid. It's just a search and rescue. Though I can understand if you want to sit this one out. I can tell them you're sick.

_Just a search a rescue. Just like the last one was just information retrieval._ Yuuya shook his head. "No, I'm... I can do it. It's fine."

Leone looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

Yuuya nodded absently and went to pour himself some coffee and grab some toast. He sat down across from Leone and forced himself to eat. It all tasted like dirt.

Leone studied Yuuya's face for a moment before saying, "I promise you, Sakazaki, it gets easier each time."

"...I don't want it to get easier," Yuuya mumbled.

"Yuuya..."

"I don't want it to get easier!" Yuuya shouted. "I don't want to ever get to the point where I don't care if I kill someone. These are people's _lives!_ They have families, aspirations, people who will miss them when they're gone. I can't just forget that, I can't..." Yuuya started crying again. "Even if I have nightmares like that every night for the rest of my life. I can't ever forget..."

Leone handed him a napkin to wipe his eyes and blow his nose. "If you stay with the Dove Party, there will likely be more times where you'll have to kill someone to protect yourself or to protect someone else. Are you sure this is the life you want?"

"I never said... I never said I wouldn't do it. Just... you can't expect me to ever think nothing about taking someone's life. I'll do it if I have to, but..." Tears started to well in his eyes again.

Leone sighed. "I'll just tell them you can't come today."

"No!" Yuuya jumped up and ran to the door to put on his shoes. "I said I was going, so I'm going." _I can't let the Party think I'm useless_. _If I'm useless, they'll send me back._

Leone shook his head and followed the boy out the door.

On the way over, Leone briefed Yuuya on the mission. "The son of a valuable Dove Party asset has gone missing. The father returned last night and found a note from the boy, so it's assumed that he ran away rather than was abducted. Still, the son hasn't returned, and the area around the home can be dangerous, especially for an eight-year-old in the middle of a storm. The local authorities were not informed, as we do not want even the slightest chance of a leak to a Hawk Party member, as obtaining the son may give them the leverage they need against the father. The boy's name is Christophe... Sakazaki, are you even listening?"

Yuuya was staring out the window at the rain, apparently lost to the world. "Kid lost in the woods. Find him before the Hawks. Christophe."

Leone wasn't completely satisfied with Yuuya's response, but didn't push it further. When they got to the house, he told Yuuya to start the search while he went and talked with the father. Yuuya took an umbrella and a backpack and headed out to the forest on the property's border.

"Christophe!" he shouted, but the only thing he heard in response was the rain.

"Christophe!" He climbed up a muddy embankment to get to higher ground. It was miserable out here, but at least he was doing _something_. If he had stayed at the apartment with nothing to distract his thoughts...

_"Christophe!"_ He had to find this kid. He had to save him. He knew it was the only way to save Yuuya himself. If he couldn't find him, if he died because Yuuya had failed...

Yuuya's eyes started welling with tears. **_"Christophe!"_**

This time, Yuuya thought he heard something. "Christophe?" There! It was definitely a whimper, coming from an outcropping of rocks. Yuuya rushed over. "Christophe! Are you there?" There was a hole half hidden among the rocks. It was a little too narrow for Yuuya to fit through, but an eight-year-old... He took a flashlight out of the backpack and shined it in the hole. A pair of terrified eyes shined back. "Christophe! Your name is Christophe, right? My name is Yuuya. I'm going to get you out, okay?"

"I can't swim," Christophe whimpered. It was then that Yuuya realized that the cavern was flooded with water from the storm. And the water level was rising.

"That's okay! Just give me your hand, and I'll pull you out. You don't need to know how to swim to do that, right?"

Christophe started crying. "I can't! I can't go back! Papa will hate me!"

Yuuya started to panic. "That's not true! Your papa was the one that asked my friend and me to come and find you. He wants to see you again, Christophe."

"But I broke Maman!"

"...What?"

"The urn with Maman's ashes. I didn't mean to, I was just playing and..." his crying turned to sobs. "Papa will be so angry! He already gets mad at me because of my grades and because I bother him when he's working. I'm such a disappointment, and he'll never forgive me... If I just stay here, if I just disappear, it'll be better for everyone."

"Christophe, listen to me. You made a mistake. You made a terrible mistake that you can never take back, but if you don't take my hand, it'll be the last mistake you ever make. You'll never get a chance to make up for it. You need to _live_, Christophe. Live so that you can do good things that make up for all the bad things you've done, live so that you can be with the people that love you, live so you can be _happy._' Yuuya realized he was crying himself now. "I know it's scary, Christophe. I know it's hard. But if you give up now, you'll miss all the times when life is truly beautiful. You have to keep fighting, keep moving forward past all the bad times so you can live through the good times. So please, Christophe, take my hand!" Yuuya thrust his arm as far as he could down the hole.

Christophe hesitated, but then reached his hand out and took Yuuya's. Yuuya pulled him up as fast as he could and immediately wrapped his arms around him. The boy was ice cold. Yuuya took a thermal blanket out of his backpack and wrapped it around Christophe, then pulled him into his lap and hugged him close. Yuuya stayed like that for a while, trying to warm the boy up and trying to decompress his emotions. When he felt calm enough, he pulled out his phone and called Leone.

After just one ring, "Did you find something?" boomed on the other end of the line.

Yuuya smiled. "I found him. I found Christophe. He might have hypothermia, but I think he's okay."

"Do you think you can bring him back on your own?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm headed back now. I'll call if I run into complications. See you soon." Yuuya put the phone away and ruffled Christophe's hair. "We're going home now, okay Christophe?"

"Okay..."

Yuuya had Christophe put his arms around his neck so that Yuuya could give him a piggyback ride through the woods. When they made it out of the tree line and on to Christophe's property, Yuuya saw a man run up to greet them. Yuuya's eyes widened when he realized who he was.

"Christophe!" The man shouted.

"Papa!" Yuuya felt Christophe squirming against his back. Yuuya let him down, and the boy stumbled over to his father. The man scooped him up and held him close.

The man turned to Yuuya. "Thank you so much, young man. You can't possibly know how grateful I am to you."

Yuuya blushed. "Y-yeah, no problem. What kind of person would I be if I ignored a scared little kid in the woods?"

The man smiled. "Thank you again." He turned his attention to the boy in his arms. "Let's go home, Christophe." He then turned and walked toward the house. Leone came up beside Yuuya and they watched as father and son disappeared behind their front door.

"That man..." Yuuya started.

"His name is Pierre Moreau. He's the diplomat you saved last night."

Yuuya turned pale. "But then, if I hadn't killed Dubois..."

Leone closed his eyes "If you hadn't shot him, Moreau would have never made it home, no one would have noticed Christophe's absence, and you'd have two deaths on your hands instead of just one."

Yuuya felt like he couldn't breath. "But... I _killed_ someone. How can that even have any effect on saving a little kid?"

"That's the beauty of the Dove Party, kid. We're a bright and massive beacon for good, even when you have to do terrible things. That's why you have to step back and look at the big picture. Even if you have to do something horrible today, it'll lay the groundwork for something wondrous, something that will make the world a much better place.."

"But if you do something terrible and nothing good comes of it?"

"It's just something you have to believe in. You have to keep pushing forward with the hope that tomorrow will be better. And if tomorrow is worse, you just keeping moving on to the next tomorrow. It's only when you stand still that you'll find yourself trapped. If you stop trying, the weight of all your unredeemed sins will drag you down, and you'll never see the fruits of your efforts again. And that's why we chase after the light until the day we die."

Yuuya shuddered. _If I hadn't smashed the egg, Sakuya would be..._ But he told himself that all the time, and yet the guilt still haunted him. It wasn't a fair enough trade. But with Christophe... Yuuya's eyes filled with tears. He wasn't going to have another nightmare about Dubois, he could feel it. He turned to Leone and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in Leone's shirt. "Thank you," Yuuya choked out. "Thank you for letting me save Christophe... For everything."

Leone was shocked. This was the first time in the year he had known him that Yuuya had ever hugged Leone, and he certainly never thanked him for anything. Leone sighed and rubbed the boy's back. "Let's go home, kid. I think we could both go for some hot cocoa right now."

That night, Yuuya was visited once more. He wandered out into the living room and saw _him. _The bloody child. He hesitated, wanting nothing more than to run away, but he stood his ground. "I'm… sorry. I know that saying that doesn't mean much, and that nothing I do now will ever make up for what I did to you. But I'll never give up on trying. I'll never give up on saving people, on making the world a better place, so that no one has to suffer like you did. I'll never give up on making it up to you, until the day I die. And when that day comes, I hope… I hope that you can finally forgive me. So please, watch over me until then."

The child said nothing. Instead, it withdrew a bundle of flowers from behind its back and offered them to Yuuya. There were three: gooseberry, forget-me-not, and chestnut. Yuuya's mother had taught him all about the language of flowers, so he knew their meaning. _I look forward to it. Do me justice, and never forget me._

Yuuya accepted the flowers. "I understand. I promise, I won't let you down."

Yuuya's alarm clock went off, shattering the dream instantly. He smacked the off button and almost knocked off a vase that wasn't on his bedside table the night before. Pink and yellow flowers were in the vase, and a note in Leone's handwriting was next to it. "Found this outside the door. Had your name on it."

Christophe or his father must have sent them as a thank you for the day before, Yuuya thought. But as his drowsiness began to fade away, he realized that there was no reason why the Moreaus would know where he lived. But who else would send him flowers?

He took a closer look, and then froze when he recognized the type of flowers that were in the vase. Pink plum blossoms and yellow rue, flowers associated with promises and regret. _Remember your promise, or you'll regret it._

Yuuya pulled his teddy bear out and hugged it close, trying not to hyperventilate. "I promise…" he whispered, "I promise, I promise, I promise…"


	5. Chapter 5

"It's time to celebrate!" Yuuya chirped as they entered the apartment. He almost danced over to the refrigerator. It was smaller than the one they had in France, but it was filled with just as many beers. "Booze all around!"

"Put those back, kid," Leone chided. "There are other ways of celebrating than engaging in underaged drinking."

"Ah, but I am a French citizen, and can therefore drink under the supervision of a responsible adult. Last I checked, you are an adult. Responsible may be pushing it, but..."

Leone crossed his arms. "Yeah, well this isn't France. You gotta be 20, kid."

Yuuya pouted. "Seriously? After that news, you're going to play the strict dad card? Even though it's my _birthday?"_

Leone quickly pulled out his phone and checked the date. Yep. April 25th. "Huh."

"Did you seriously forget my birthday?" Yuuya asked with a stern look of disapproval.

Leone rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry kid, but everything kind of happened at once. With so much going on, the dates kind of just clumped together. Besides, 15 still isn't 20."

A lot _had_ happened in the last month. The powers at be at the Dove Party had decided that Yuuya was ready to leave training and take on his first, fully-fledged mission. None of the little wiretaps and email hacking that just took a week at the most. This time, he would have to go undercover, get close to the target, and steal his secrets bit by bit. This operation was long in planning, and would require an operative's investment for months, if not years. And they had picked Yuuya.

They had Yuuya fly out to Japan with Leone, who was to act as his handler during the mission. After they had gotten settled in their new living quarters, the Japanese branch of the Party ran their own assessments on Yuuya's abilities before they made their final decision. And that night, they finally told him that he had been cleared. He was to enroll in St. Pigeonations the following spring and monitor the activities of one Souma Isa, a man known to conduct seedy experiments for the Hawk Party.

Yuuya was ecstatic. Sure, St. Pigeonations was a better school than he had ever hoped he could get into, but the opportunity to spy on a mad scientist was far more thrilling than schoolwork ever could be. Now if only Leone would let him celebrate properly. "The fact that you forgot such an important date breaks my heart, Leone. I think the only way that you can make it up to me, and for me to mend the pieces of the heart you shattered, is for you to let me get shitfaced."

Leone rolled his eyes. "Whatever, kid. Just don't overdo it, okay? I don't need 'supplying a minor with illicit substances' on my record."

Yuuya grinned and tossed him a bottle and got one for himself. "Bottom's up!"

Twelve and a half bottles later and Yuuya could barely keep his head off the table.

"Jesus kid, I said not to overdo it." Leone was still only on his third.

Yuuya moaned in response.

Leone emptied his bear and lit a cigar. "This is pretty sad though, spending your birthday getting drunk with someone like me. It's too bad we couldn't have stayed a little longer in France, then you could have spent today with your friends.

"What friends?" Yuuya muttered.

Leone raised an eyebrow. "Your friends from school? You seemed to get along with them better than the boys from that prep school Le Bel sent you to anyway."

"They're not my friends, Yuuya slurred. "They're only... only friends with the 'happy' kid you told me to pretend to be. But... but I'm not that kid. They don't care about me, they don't..." Yuuya burst out crying.

That startled Leone. "Yuuya?"

"No one cares! No one cares about me, and they never will... They would all hate me if they knew the truth. But... but, I had to, I had to do it. If I didn't smash it, I would have had to smash Sakuya. And now he'll never know. He'll never know what I did. He'll never know we're brothers. He'll only ever hate me. But that's what I deserve. Because of what I did, I don't deserve anyone's love. I'm trash, and everyone hates trash. I'm trash, I'm trash, I'm trash..."

"Yuuya, you're not making any sense," Leone grabbed the half empty bottle out of the boy's hand and poured it down the sink. "I think we're done for the night. You should go to bed."

Yuuya continued to sob. "No one loves me, no one will ever love me. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it..."

Leone half dragged Yuuya to his room and helped him into bed. Yuuya passed out almost immediately. Leone made sure that he wasn't at risk for rolling on his back, as he didn't feel like telling the Dove Party why he let the key player in the St. Pigeonations job choke to death on his own vomit. He left the room and went to get his computer.

What Yuuya had said was heart-breaking, but parts of it made little sense. He had to smash it? Or he would have to smash his half brother? He also said that Shirogane wouldn't know that they were brothers. Surely even a noble brat like him would acknowledge that they had the same mother, right? Unless...

Leone did an internet search and found a photo that was taken of the Le Bel family at a benefit dinner the year before. He studied the photo. The longer he stared at it, the more it seemed like something was off. He did another search and found a high school yearbook photo of Yuuya's father. _No,_ he thought after comparing the yearbook photo to the family photo. _It couldn't be._ Just to be sure, he started up a facial recognition program and set it to check for familial ties. He compared Sakuya's face against his father's. The result showed an 8% chance of familial connection. He then compared the boy to Yuuya's father. A 96% chance.

Leone brought a hand to his forehead. "Sakazaki, what the hell did you do?"

The next morning, Leone had a full pot of coffee ready by the time Yuuya came stumbling out with a massive hangover. "Morning, kid."

"Ungh," Yuuya said in response. He shuffled over to the coffee and poured himself a cup, trying his hardest not to move his head too much. He sat down and stared bleakly at his cup. "What the hell happened last night?"

Leone hesitated. "Do you remember anything?"

"I remember drinking. A lot." Yuuya turned and glared at him. "And thanks, by the way, for stopping a minor from overdrinking. That was _very appreciated_ and I totally don't have a splitting headache right now."

_Hey, you were the one who said you wanted to get shitfaced_. "Do you remember saying anything?"

"Not really." Yuuya looked confused. "Why, what did I say?"

Leone shifted uncomfortably. "You were upset about something you apparently did. Something that has to do with your half brother."

Yuuya's eyes widened in terror. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but he couldn't find the words.

"You were pretty vague though," Leone added. "What exactly happened back then? It had you pretty worked up."

Yuuya looked away. "Nothing. It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

Leone sighed. If he didn't want to talk about it, that was fine. He could open up to him when he felt more comfortable. "But, that's not the only thing you said. You kept going on about how no one cares about you or can care about you, and that you don't deserve to be loved because of whatever happened in the past. Is that the way you really feel?"

Yuuya glared at the floor and balled his hands into fists. "How do you expect me to answer something like that?"

"Yuuya..."

"Of course that's how I feel! The only person who even pretended to care about me was my father, and he was killed after I turned one. And then for the next 12 years of my life, everyone made it very clear that they hated me. And even after I joined the Party, the 'friends' that I made only liked me for the fake persona I created for them, that _you_ told me to create, mind you. But even that wasn't enough. When I told them I was moving to Japan, do you know how many of them asked me for my contact information, so that we could keep in touch?" Yuuya gave out a short, sad laugh. "None! I've been alone my entire life. Even when I'm surrounded by smiling faces, I'm alone. And don't you fucking dare tell me I'm 'overreacting,' or that I've 'got it all wrong.' You don't know what it's been like. You fucking don't. No one cares, and they never will. That's just the way it is."

Leone was angry now. "No one cares about you? Are you fucking blind? I can't speak for everyone else, but _I care about you, you idiot._

"Why?" Yuuya snapped. "I'm just some dumb kid you got forced to train!"

"You're also some dumb kid that I spent the last two years living with. Do you really think I value the time we've spent together that little?"

"Shut up! Just…" Yuuya threw his arms up and stormed out of the kitchen and into his room, slamming and locking the door behind him. He threw himself on his bed and started screaming into his pillow and tried not to cry.

Before long, he heard his doorknob jiggle, and then turn. Yuuya looked up just to see Leone barging into his room. "What the fuck, Leone?!"

"I know how to pick a lock, moron. It's one of the first things I taught you."

"So now I can't even have my own privacy? Go away and leave me alone."

Leone sat down on the bed. "Isn't being alone what made you so upset in the first place?"

Yuuya tensed up. "Don't fucking turn my words back around on me!"

"Yuuya, I don't want you to feel like this, and I'm not going to just leave you alone so you can wallow in self pity and make yourself feel worse."

"Right, because if I become 'emotionally compromised' I'll be a threat to the Party's plans," Yuuya spat.

"It goes far beyond that, Yuuya. I worry about you on a more personal level, not just as far as whether you're capable of performing the tasks before you."

"Why, because you 'care' about me?"

"Yes."

"Bullshit."

Leone grimaced. "Why is it so difficult for you to believe that? Did I do something that makes you doubt me when I say that I actually care about what happens to you?"

Yuuya started shaking, and all the tears he had been holding back that morning came rushing forth. "_YOU FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY!_" Yuuya shrieked at him.

Leone was taken aback. When Yuuya had said the night before that his heart was broken, it was with a joking voice. But now Leone saw that it really had upset him. That was probably why he drank so much, and why he started crying and saying that no one cared about him. Leone had let him down.

Yuuya continued sobbing. "I let it slide last year, since it was the first and I never told you when it was. But this year… This year I _reminded _you! On the plane, I was talking to you about how fun it would be to celebrate my birthday in Japan. I reminded you, _and you still forgot. _I was looking forward to it so much, looking forward to what you would do for me, and you fucking forgot…"

Leone sighed. "Yuuya, I'm an ass. I'm an old, forgetful ass. But please, don't think that means I don't care. And don't think that means that no one else would care either. You're a resourceful, attractive young man who has risked his life numerous times to save complete strangers. I can't think of a single girl who wouldn't love you for even one of those traits.

"But I don't deserve…"

"I know you think you don't deserve to be loved. You're wrong, but if I can't convince you otherwise, let me just say that people often still get what they don't deserve. I knew a kid in high school that used to shove kids and lockers and beat his girlfriend, and then he won the lottery. Then I knew this American guy that broke into this old lady's house to steal her things, and he sued her because her guard dog bit him, and he won. And then there's Le Bel. I'm sure we can both agree that he didn't deserve to marry your mother."

Yuuya shuddered.

"Look, now that your basic training is over, this whole year you can do whatever you want after school and on weekends. You can spend time with the friends I know you're going to make, you can go on dates with the girls I know are going to flirt with you, and I can give you a little 'love' training from time to time too if you'd like."

Yuuya stared at him with suspicion. "Love training?"

"Well, you said you feel unloved, and later this week, you'll be starting at a coed school for the first time. It's the perfect opportunity to meet some girls, and maybe get a girlfriend. Someone that will prove I'm right about people being capable of caring about you. You just need a little direction to get the ball rolling."

"It doesn't matter what you 'teach' me. It won't work."

"The first lesson is, before others can learn to love you, you have to learn to love yourself. We need to work on your self confidence, kid. You have a lot going for you, so you just need to direct your focus to the good things about you rather than the bad things. Talk your positive traits up, even if it feels weird at first. Now, tell me something positive about yourself."

Yuuya looked away.

"I'm not leaving until you say something."

"…I can cook spaghetti without burning it," Yuuya mumbled.

Leone sighed. _One time. I did that one time._ "Try something a bit more substantial than that, kid."

Yuuya closed his eyes. "I… saved more people than I killed."

"Yes, that's better. Now one more."

Yuuya opened his eyes and stared down at his hands. "I… I never give up. Even if it seems impossible, even if it _is_ impossible, even if…" His breath shuddered as the sobs started back up again.

Leone pulled the boy into a hug and started rubbing his back. "That's right. And you're not going to give up on this, either. Right, Yuuya?

"…No."

"I want to hear you say it."

"I'm… not going to give up on love."

"Good. Just so you know, you're going to have more people throwing themselves at you than you know what to do with. I guarantee it. Hell, if you're somehow still single in 5 years, I may try to snatch you up myself."

Yuuya blushed and shoved Leone away. He stared at the older man, unable to tell if he was being serious or not. "Okay. Get out. Now."

Leone grinned. "Hey, I was just—"

"Don't care. Out. I still have a headache and want to try sleeping it off. Go out and buy me some aspirin or something." Yuuya turned his back on Leone and pulled his pillow over his head.

Leone chuckled and left the room.

When Yuuya woke up again, it was past 1:00 pm. Leone had left a bottle of aspirin by Yuuya's alarm clock. He still had a bit of a headache, so he grabbed it and went to the bathroom to get a glass of water. On the sink were a department store bag and a note from Leone: "Sometimes a few accessories can change your look enough to make you feel more confident. Your hair is always in your face and covering your eyes. If you keep it back, people will see how attractive you are and want to be around you more. The glasses will make you look more intelligent. Also, I would definitely play up the foreigner thing. Japanese girls think that French guys are sexy and suave."

In the bag were two hair clips and a pair of accessory glasses. He tried putting them on and looked in the mirror. He didn't look _that_ different, but it was a subtle enough change that he could sort of see what Leone meant. He forced a smile and winked at himself. "Sexy and Suave~" He held the smile for half a second longer before grimacing and covering his face with his hand. "Oh my god I sound like a douche bag." Yuuya sighed and looked back at the mirror. He realized that he _was_ pretty attractive. Maybe this would work. If nothing else, he could build up this persona for when he infiltrated St. Pigeonations, right? Yuuya smiled at his reflection one last time before leaving the bathroom, completely forgetting about the aspirin and the water.

He wasn't going to give up. Not now, not ever.


	6. Chapter 6

Yuuya walked up to the door and hesitated, his heart beating erratically. _Come on, Sakazaki! You've been waiting for this for two weeks now! You can do this._ He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Almost immediately, it opened, and a bright and massive cockatiel leered out. His expression didn't change when he saw Yuuya, which was a bit unsettling. But, he was a seasoned agent with years of training after all, and as a janitor he wasn't supposed to know any of the students. Yuuya tried his best not to drop the act himself.

"Ah, salut mon amie! You are Mr. One, the janitor, no? I'm Yuuya Sakazaki, from the infirmary staff. Doctor Iwamine ran out of cleaning supplies, so he sent me to retrieve them. Would you take pity on this poor soul and alleviate my disinfectant related woes?"

Leone rolled his eyes and stepped aside. "Come on in. I'll get you what you need."

Yuuya smiled. "Merci beaucoup, mon amie~" He walked in and leaned back against the door as he closed it. Already he could feel his facade slipping as a blush crept up his neck. "Um... Er... How... How have you been?" he managed to get out.

Leone sighed and opened his arms. "Come here, kid."

Yuuya all but threw himself at the older man as he accepted the offered hug. "I missed you," he muttered into Leone's chest.

"We saw each other yesterday."

"I passed by you when you were you were cleaning the floor! It's not like I could acknowledge you. I really wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Leone asked as he moved to the back of the office to pour Yuuya some coffee.

"Well, nothing in particular, I guess. It's just that it's been really weird being alone at the apartment. I'm just so used to you always being there to listen to whatever random thought I may have."

Leone handed him a cup. "Well, how have you been adjusting to St. Pigeonations?"

Yuuya smiled confidently. "I managed to infiltrate the infirmary staff on only my second day here, and Iwamine isn't any the wiser. But then, I haven't really done anything in the way of digging up dirt on him yet though. I thought it would be best to learn his idiosyncrasies before I try anything. All I've learned so far is that he seems to appear behind you when you least expect it." Yuuya shuddered. "I still need to figure out how to detect him, or else I'm not going to last long on this mission. Have you heard the rumors that students end up disappearing in the infirmary and reappear on the cafeteria lunch menu? Well, a sophomore on the infirmary staff got caught organizing the files on his desk, and I haven't seen him since."

Leone raised an eyebrow. "If this is too much for you..."

"No, I've got this! Please, try to have a little more confidence in the agent you trained. I won't get caught."

Leone laughed. "Of course. Well tell me a little about your life as a student. If you just focus on your work you're bound to get burned out."

"I seem to be getting along with everyone. I think the whole French thing is really working to my favor. They've invited me out a few times and it was actually really fun. And the best part is that I'm almost positive that two people in my homeroom want to sleep with me."

Leone stared at him. "This is an all boys school."

Yuuya grinned. "I know, right? I'm as much a hit with the men as I am with the ladies it seems."

"I'll take credit for that," Leone said with a smirk. Then he frowned. "I will not, however, take credit for your grades. Why haven't you been doing your homework?"

Yuuya's smug expression changed to one of puzzlement. "How...?"

Leone pulled out a ring of keys and jingled them. "I'm the janitor. That gives me access to pretty much every part of this school, including the teacher offices. I took a peek at your class records and noticed that you've been getting zeros on most of your assignments."

Yuuya glared at him "What, now you're spying on _me_? I thought the target was Iwamine."

"No, _your_ target is Iwamine. I'm just your handler, and that means I have to watch out for _you_. That includes your grades."

Yuuya groaned. "I don't have time for that! When I'm not trying to figure out Iwamine, I'm building my persona within the school. It's mentally and physically exhausting, and by the time I get home I can barely make it to my bed before I pass out."

"Make time for it then. This mission isn't everything. You need to think of your future too. This is a great school that would look amazing on a resume, but not if you're averaging Ds on your report card."

Yuuya rolled his eyes. "Okay, _Dad_, I'll make more of an effort. Now if that's all, I should probably be going. People will start to wonder if a first year spends too much time in the janitor's office." Especially when the janitor's in there with him.

Leone smiled. He knew he meant it as an insult, but whenever Yuuya called him Dad, he felt almost happy. After all, Yuuya's father was one of the few people he spoke of in high regards. "Hold on, I wanted to give you something. I'm actually glad you came to see me today, or else I would have had to hunt you down." He went to his closet and pulled out a brown package.

"What's this for?" Yuuya asked as Leone handed it to him.

Leone crossed his arms and looked confused. "Are you serious?"

Yuuya was even more confused. "What?"

"Sakazaki, what's today's date?"

Yuuya pulled out his phone to check. "April 25th, 21- Oh... Oh my god..."

Leone smiled. "Happy 16th birthday, Yuuya."

Yuuya stared at the package in his hands, trying to avoid eye contact with Leone. _Oh god oh god oh god don't cry don't cry don't cry_. "Ha, I can't believe I forgot. I guess with all that's been happening..." _That's the same exact excuse he gave last year and you gave him so much shit for it. Oh my god don't cry._

"Just open it, kid."

Yuuya nodded and tore the paper away. "A... book of poetry?"

"I figured you might want to study up a bit, maybe add a bit of flowery language to your speech to help round out the whole flirty French douchebag thing you've got going on."

Yuuya grimaced at the douchebag comment, but also because he was a little disappointed. He was hoping for something more personal, not something that had to do with his work as a Dove agent. But, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. "...Thanks, Leone."

"Open it to page 116. There's a verse there that I think you'll really like."

Yuuya opened the book to the page Leone suggested, and a photograph fluttered out. Yuuya couldn't help but laugh when he saw it. It was a picture from their mission in Disney World a few months ago. They had some down time, so Yuuya decided to drag Leone around to various attractions. There had been an area with character boards with their faces cut out, where an automatic camera would take your picture when you put your face in the hole. Yuuya had picked the Mickey Mouse cutout and made Leone take Minnie. "I didn't think you'd actually buy one of these! Thank you so much, this is wonderful."

"Don't mention it kid. And before you forget..." Leone got a box out and started throwing various cleaning supplies into it. When he was done, he handed the box to Yuuya. "You'd better take this back to the infirmary, or the good Doctor will start to wonder where his staff member wandered off to."

"Oh, right." Yuuya put the book on top of the box and headed to the door with everything. "Thanks for the gift. I'll see you again when the infirmary runs out of supplies again. Which is fairly often, from what I understand."

"Or you could just pop in whenever. You don't need an excuse to come and see me." Leone smiled. "Besides, it gets a little lonely taking coffee breaks by myself all the time."

Yuuya smiled back. "Okay, I'll come visit you again tomorrow then. Adieu, _Mr. One_."

Yuuya headed out the door and back to the infirmary. He took a slight detour however to put his gift away in his locker He opened the lock, but before he put it away. He flipped through the book again until it opened on the photo. After staring at it for awhile, he closed the book and held it to his chest, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against the door to his locker.

With the exception of his first, Yuuya's birthdays had always been terrible. Always. There was no reason why this one shouldn't be terrible too. And yet...

A soft smile came to his lips. Maybe things were turning around for the better now.

"Hey Sakazaki, are you okay?"

Yuuya turned around to see one of his classmates behind him. "Thank you for your concern, mon amie, but I am fine. I just had a late night is all."

The other boy started grinning. "Well, you're going to have a late night tonight too. I heard from a teacher that it's your birthday today, so me and the guys are going to take you out to celebrate. Well, if you don't already have plans anyway."

Yuuya smiled at him. "Non, I don't have plans. I can't wait to see what you have planned for me."

"Great, see you tonight then!" The other boy waved goodbye and ran off.

Yuuya put his book away and leaned back against his locker. Yes, things were finally turning around.


End file.
